President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo by Mlungisi Louw/Volksblad/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the failure of governance in metros like Johannesburg, eThekwini and Buffalo City contributed to his ANC’s electoral decline in the 29 May national and provincial elections.
In a political overview delivered at the opening of the ANC national executive committee’s (NEC) lekgotla in Boksburg on Sunday, Ramaphosa said local governance required attention, given that municipalities were critical to delivering infrastructure and basic services to people.
“Together with our alliance partners, we agreed that municipalities are most critical for creating conditions in which businesses can grow and create jobs,” he told the meeting, also attended by leaders of the ANC’s alliance partners the South African Communist Party and labour federation Cosatu.
“We have seen the impact of the failure of local government in the election result. We know that many people withheld their votes because of their disappointment and dissatisfaction with the provisions of services and the state of infrastructure at the local level where they live.”
The ANC has been battling to get a grip on power in Gauteng municipalities and recently had to negotiate with ActionSA on an agreement to work together in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
Ramaphosa said the party’s analysis showed that the ANC recorded the greatest decline in its share of votes in the metros.
“The instability, dysfunction and poor performance of metros like Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Buffalo city are clearly reflected in the election result,” he said.
“We therefore need decisive intervention in these metros. This is necessary not simply for the ANC’s electoral prospects, but for the sake of engendering inclusive growth, ensuring that there is job creation and poverty reduction.”
He noted that these metros are where millions of people live and where most economic activity in South Africa takes place. The national executive committee had made an assessment of all hung municipalities across the country and decided to intervene and work with a range of parties to stabilise them, he added.
“During this month, the national task team on coalitions will be engaging, starting in Johannesburg and it will help to restore, rebuild and renew various structures so that we are able to better serve our people,” he said.
Ramaphosa conceded that weakness within the ANC also contributed to its dismal election results.
“The people of South Africa can see and have punished us for the erosion of our values, our principles, the deterioration of our organisational capacity, the prevalence of corruption, patronage, division as well as factionalism,” he said.
For the first time in 30 years of democracy, the liberation movement failed to get over 50% of the vote needed to govern outright, forcing it to form a government of national unity with the Democratic Alliance, the Inkatha Freedom Party, Rise Mzansi, Good, Patriotic Alliance, Al Jama-ah, Freedom Front Plus, Pan Africanist Congress and the United Democratic Movement.
The ANC’s national executive committee has been sitting in Boksburg for the past three days to reflect on various issues including the party’s electoral losses.
“Over the last three days the NEC has deliberated extensively and in detail on the reason for this dramatic decline in support and has had to examine its implications and the action we need to take to restore the ANC’s support within society,” Ramaphosa said.
“In many ways, we have entered uncharted territory, we have never been here before. We have suffered a strategic setback that has far reaching consequences and implications for how we are going to conduct the struggle for fundamental transformation of our country.”
But rather than dwell on it as a decline in electoral support, he said, the party should see it as a call to action.
“This is not the time to be bitter, it is also not the time to feel defeated, it is the time to be better and do better,” Ramaphosa said.
“The task for the lekgotla is to set out the work that we need to do at this moment, in these circumstances to build a strong, growing and inclusive economy that protects and advances workers rights and offers endless opportunities and livelihood to the people of the country as a whole.
“At this lekgotla we must focus on the economy and the important issue of economic transformation. Our people want a transformed, growing and inclusive economy that creates jobs for millions of job seekers.
“Together as an alliance we must confront the fact that our economy has barely grown over the last 14 years. Between 2010 and 2024, the average annual GDP growth was 1.2% for each year, this is anaemic growth. This was lower than the population growth over that period.”